BEIRUT _ Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was tendering his resignation on Tuesday, bowing to increasing pressure from waves of protesters refusing to abandon the streets.
"Today it's not hidden to you that I've reached a dead end," Hariri said in a televised speech from his offices in downtown Beirut. He added he would visit Lebanese President Michel Aoun to present his resignation, "in response with many of those who went (out to the streets) to demand change."
"My call is for all Lebanese to put Lebanon's interest first," he said.
Hariri's resignation comes after almost two weeks of unprecedented antigovernment unrest. The protests, first sparked by the government announcing taxes on the WhatsApp messaging service, became a call for the downfall of Lebanon's entire government.
Demonstrators blocked roads and spent every day on the street demanding the government leave. Earlier in the day, groups of men said to be supporters of the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Amal party overran Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, where protesters had set up tents and a stage for the nightly protest parades.
Army and police units did not interfere, protesters said. But antigovernment protesters soon came back, quickly cleaning up the debris and re-erecting tents. Many cheered as they heard Hariri's speech from dozens of smartphones streaming his words. The demonstrations have all but paralyzed the country. Schools, universities, and banks remained closed for a 10th day on Tuesday, while fears increase over the Lebanese currency, which is pegged to the dollar and has been flagging in value on the black market.
